Paella for lunch today and didn't feel like red wine so a chance to try some Palo Cortado that comes highly recommended by the distributor here in Manila. Bodegas Hidalgo Wellington Palo Cortado 20 Years VOS - Brilliant mahogany/red. On the nose, caramel, toffee and nuts. Very dry and nutty. There is a fair amount of acidity that makes this a very appetizing and clean drink. Impressive length. Excellent sherry. Palo Cortado is a Fino that loses the layer of Flor and therefore starts aging oxidatively like an Amontillado. VOS stands for Vinum Optimum Signatum or Very Old Sherry in English. This guarantees that the wine is at least 20 years old.

What a great choice. I had my first Palo Cortado a year or so ago, a 30 year old; flavorwise, it was one of the most multi-faceted wines I've ever had. I couldn't write fast enough to note all the things I was tasting.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Jenise wrote:What a great choice. I had my first Palo Cortado a year or so ago, a 30 year old; flavorwise, it was one of the most multi-faceted wines I've ever had. I couldn't write fast enough to note all the things I was tasting.

I've also got a bottle of 30 year old PC. Maybe that will be for the next Spanish dinner.

We tasted at Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana earlier in the year and an interesting bit of trivia is that they still stamp some of their barrels Wellington or Napoleon as a nod to the fact that they supplied both Wellington's and Napoleon's armies with sherry. Their aged Amontillado's carry the name Napoleon. Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana wines come into the US via Classical Wines and they do have a "Production Chart" that gives some clues to the differences between their Palo Cortado and Amontillado. But the difference has never been entirely clear to me except that the Palo Cortado is fortified (as a preservative) after its loss of flor.

As I understand it the difference between an Amontillado and a Palo Cortado is that in an Amontillado they flor dies off naturally after consuming all the glycerol, etc. that it feeds off of. The theoretical way a PC comes into existence is if a Fino has more body than it should (though I've never seen this stated I speculate that this might be due to the glycerol not being consumed for some reason) it's put in a separate location and fortified to kill off the flor. This process might be repeated multiple times if necessary (each time a cut, or cortado, is made on the barrel).

This is supposed to be an accidental occurrence but given that almost everyone makes a PC these days that claim is greeted with a certain degree of skepticism.

I highly recommend Peter Liem and Jesus Barquin's book Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla for anyone with any interest in Sherry. It has an extensive discussion on the various styles and their history.